A group of independent UN experts, including specialized rapporteurs, issued a statement questioning years of denials. This document has been disseminated considering the limitations of digital control in Tibet and other regions.
Among the authors are specialists such as the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery Tomoya Obokata, the Special Rapporteur on minority issues Nicolás Levrat, the Special Rapporteur on cultural rights Alexandra Xanthaki, and the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons Siobhan Mullally. Working groups on arbitrary detention and business and human rights are also involved in the effort.
Their joint conclusions sound like a kind of "tribunal of conscience".The statement emphasizes the existence of a "sustained pattern of alleged imposition of forced labor on ethnic minorities in several provinces of China." In some cases, "the degree of coercion is such that it can be classified as forced displacement and/or enslavement, which constitutes a crime against humanity." Thus, UN experts have effectively leveled accusations against the world's second-largest economy based on reliable mechanisms for human rights protection.
Beijing's defenders have long claimed that testimonies from Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Tibetans are fabrications, that satellite images are misinterpreted, and that leaked documents are forgeries. Such evidence has often been ridiculed as "Western propaganda." However, the UN, previously viewed as a neutral entity, has now confirmed an important conclusion: the labor transfer system in China operates on a forced basis and on a scale that calls into question the voluntariness of the process.
Experts detail how government programs for "poverty alleviation through labor transfers" effectively compel minority representatives to accept jobs that they cannot refuse. Such a level of control makes refusal practically impossible. According to Xinjiang's five-year plan, "13.75 million cases of labor transfers" are expected, which casts doubt on claims of voluntariness. When the process affects millions of people, discussing freedom of choice becomes difficult.
Particular Attention to Tibet
Experts estimate that "in 2024, around 650,000 Tibetans will be affected by labor transfers." These processes are accompanied by training reminiscent of military discipline and increasing pressure, leaving almost no room for dissent. Entire villages are being relocated as part of the "relocation of entire settlements" policy, based on "veiled threats of punishment, repeated home visits, bans on criticism, or threats to cut off vital utilities."From 2000 to 2025, "about 3.36 million Tibetans will be affected" by programs aimed at dismantling the nomadic lifestyle and creating dependency on the state.This refers to a large-scale social restructuring project. Under the pretext of combating poverty, forced identity changes are taking place. Experts warn that for Uyghurs and Tibetans, such policies "violently alter their traditional ways of existence, relocating them to places where they are forced to engage in wage labor," leading to the erosion of "the language of the chosen communities, their way of life, as well as cultural and religious practices." In other words, this can be perceived as cultural destruction disguised as administrative decisions.
Consequences on the International Stage
Goods produced using forced labor enter global supply chains, often passing through third countries. Experts are urgently calling on international companies: "They need to ensure that their operations and value chains are not linked to forced labor." This demand is based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and is accompanied by a new call to grant independent human rights mechanisms of the UN full access—a step that Beijing consistently refuses.The authors of the statement believe that the time has come when the last arguments of denial supporters are losing their strength.
The UN has made a clear and unequivocal statement. Ignoring the existing evidence is becoming increasingly difficult: it is substantial, the wording is unambiguous, and the moral responsibility is high.Forced labor in regions populated by ethnic minorities in China is not a myth, not geopolitical rhetoric, and not someone's fabrication. Experts assert that this is a documented reality. Those who previously dismissed such claims must now consider that the organization recognized as an authority in determining the truth has confirmed the conclusions long stated by survivors, researchers, and journalists.
Illustration on the main page - from social media.
